MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- Shaq and Kobe joined Magic and Worthy.
They've got a long way to go before joining Wilt and West but
don't seem to care.

Shaquille O'Neal scored 27 points and Kobe Bryant added 22 as
the Los Angeles Lakers matched the second-longest winning streak
in franchise history at 16 games with a 103-94 victory over the
Milwaukee Bucks.

Glen Rice added 20 points for the Lakers (31-5), who have not
lost since a 103-91 setback at Sacramento on December 8. Their
current streak matched the 16 straight wins put together by the
1990-91 Lakers, who were led by Magic Johnson and James Worthy
and was the last Los Angeles squad to reach the NBA Finals.

"All it means is we've won 16 games, nothing else," said Rice.

"It's just another win," added O'Neal, who also pulled down 10
rebounds and uncharacteristically made 7-of-10 free throws.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson has put together the second-longest
streak of his career. He guided the Chicago Bulls to 18 wins in
a row during the 1995-96 season.

However, O'Neal, Bryant and Jackson have a long way to go to
break the team record. Led by the late Wilt Chamberlain and
current Lakers vice president Jerry West, the 1971-72 squad won
33 straight games, the longest streak in pro sports history.

"We try to win every game," said Bryant, who made 10-of-19
shots. "It's too early to even think about those Laker teams."

Ray Allen scored 25 points and Sam Cassell added 24 and 13
assists for the Bucks, who made 28-of-28 free throws and still
trailed by as many as 21 points. The NBA record for most free
throws without a miss is 39 by Utah on December 7, 1982.

Milwaukee had a six-game home winning streak snapped and has not
beaten Los Angeles in eight meetings since November 5, 1994.

The Bucks hung with the Lakers until midway through the second
quarter. Los Angeles rattled off nine straight points,
including two dunks by O'Neal, to open a 45-36 lead with 3:56
remaining in the first half.

The Lakers led 56-48 at halftime and turned to their defense in
the third quarter, holding the Bucks to 29 percent (5-of-17)
from the field. Consecutive 3-pointers by Rice pushed the lead
to 75-62 and Los Angeles took a 77-64 advantage into the final
period.

Milwaukee's Glenn Robinson, who scored 22 points, opened the
fourth quarter with a jumper. But Bryant and O'Neal had dunks
in a 10-0 burst that gave Los Angeles its largest lead at 87-66
with 8:06 remaining. The Bucks got no closer than the final
margin.